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From: Ken St. Louis
Date: 20 Apr 2010
Time: 08:48:54 -0500
Remote Name: 157.182.15.121
Hi Ann, Good question, but again one we cannot answer with near the precision we can for stuttering. There is a need for epidemiological data on cluttering. Elsewhere in these discussion, Yvonne van Zaalen has described such a study in the Netherlands that is underway. We have the suspicion--but very little data yet--that cluttering is diagnosed later than stuttering. If our assumptions are correct, cluttering is most likely to become an issue in elementary school, possibly because it is there that people will begin to notice that the child is hard to understand. Given that, it is unlikely that cluttering will spontaneously remit as stuttering often does during the preschool years. That being said, there are a number of individuals who probably "cluttered" at some point in their lives but have learned to monitor and slow their rates or speak more clearly virtually all the time. These are most likely instances of self treatment rather than spontaneous recovery. Thanks for participating in the conference. Ken